The Age of Enlightenment was a
period where individual liberty, the happiness of humanity and the welfare
of society were all pondered. It was thought by the philosophes that
people could only be happy in a society which allowed all people religious,
political and economic freedom. Adam Smith was an economist who advocated
economic liberty. Rousseau and Montesquieu promoted political freedom.
These three men discovered the "natural laws" which governed economics
and politics in society.